Braxton the Charmer

by Blue Saffire

  “Your body belongs to me, so does your heart. Tell your mind to admit it. I’ve been yours all my life, Baby. Stay,” he rasps.

  “Brax, please,” I beg.

  “Please what?” he breathes, his pace never breaking. “Please don’t tell you the truth? I’ll always tell you the truth. If you make me chase you, I’m going to be ruthless. You can’t pretend with me, you can’t sell me the lies. I’ll never agree to your myth.

  “You want to be dishonest with everyone else, be my guest, but I know the truth and I’m going to hit you with that truth until you put us out of our misery. You hear me, Baby. I’ve had a taste. I’m not going back to the bullshit.”

  Clink.

  His words hit their mark. Instead of pissing me off, his words push me over. I come screaming his name. I’m dripping down my own legs, pulsing around him, panting.

  My chest goes from pounding to aching. He’s just as amazing in the light of day. Not only do I know I felt all of him, I know I’ve chosen him. There will never be another. I belong to Braxton Black, but that doesn’t mean I should or can have him.

  I’m totally fucked.

  Braxton

  My sweat soaked chest heaves against her smooth back, as I catch my breath. The moment I felt her climax around me, I was done for. I spilled my hot seed into the condom between us.

  Now, I’m feeling empty. I can already feel her shutting down. I place my face into her neck, breathing her in and willing her to stay. I squeeze my eyes shut. I would never expose her to the world, but I can no longer pretend between us. I meant every word I said.

  I’ll be relentless in my pursuit of Heather. Nothing will stop me. I won’t let her forget this, us. I’ll be as patient as I can be, but I won’t give up. I sigh, knowing my pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

  I lift my head. “Let me clean you up,” I start, but my words are cutoff my the booming voices that fill the suite.

  I close my eyes and curse being one of seven brothers for the first time in my life. I can make out at least Noah and John’s voices. This is not what I need.

  “Fuck,” I mutter.

  I look down at my naked body. My room is across the suite, along with my clothes. My mind starts to race. I know Heather will want to keep this all between us. I look up to see the panic in her eyes.

  I blow out a breath, leaning in to peck her lips. “Take your time, shower, come out when you’re ready. Looks like I’ll be ordering more food,” I frown.

  “You can’t walk out there naked,” she hiss whispers.

  I grab the towel I’d used just moments before to brace Heather. I stand and wrap it around my waist. I know I’m being a dick, but I’m pissed.

  I shrug my shoulders. “No one will think anything of it. You’re gay, remember,” I bite out.

  I don’t stay to take in her reaction. I don’t want to watch her close me out. I miss her already. I feel the tension that coils within my shoulders. I tamp down my anger and make my way out of Heather’s room.

  Sure enough, I find five of my brothers sprawled out in the common area, eating my breakfast. I roll my eyes, as my stomach growls. The part of my heart that stings is actually glad to see them.

  “What the fuck,” I grumble.

  “Ohhh, happy birthday, Bro,” John croons around a piece of the bacon that was meant for Heather and me.

  “We dropped everything to be here and this is the face with get,” Noah booms.

  “He looks like he’s smelling shit,” Ry chuckles.

  “Fuck y’all,” I mutter. “You’re eating our breakfast.”

  Wyatt lifts a brow. “So you hooked up last night? I thought you were hanging with Heather,” he says.

  I shift, shrugging my shoulders. “I did hang with Heather. That’s our food,” I reply.

  I watch the grin that spreads across Ry’s face. He mouths to me, “no way.” I look away from him shutting down all of my facial expressions.

  Felix tilts his head, as he looks me over. Noah pulls a face and glares at me. John’s frowning at me as well. I huff, knowing what’s coming.

  “You ditched her for some pussy, didn’t you?” John asks.

  “Whatever, I’m taking a shower. You fuckers better call room service and get us some breakfast. I head for my room without another word.

  “Hold the fuck up,” Wyatt calls. “Where’d you just come from in that towel?”

  I stiffen and groan. Fuck, why didn’t I think of Wyatt. Shit, I still don’t know what Heather has told him. I don’t know if he knows. I want to kick myself.

  Instead, I turn and face my brothers. I flip Wyatt the bird. “I was getting in the shower when Heather started screaming. There was a scorpion in her bathroom,” I shrug.

  “So where’d you get the scratches on your back,” Noah says, with narrowed eyes.

  “Your girlfriend. Heather and I fucked her together last night,” I say with a smug grin on my lips. I shrug again. “Told her I had a bigger cock than you and she was all for it.”

  “Keep it up you, little fucker, you’ll be shitting your own cock out,” Noah grumbles.

  I chuckle, turning to escape before everyone stops laughing and returns to questioning me. Shit, I need to think. Fucking family of PIs, I can’t hide shit.

  Heather

  I was stunned by Braxton’s words and his attitude. If he would have stayed to listen to me, he would have known that Wyatt knows the truth. If he would have stopped to listen, we wouldn’t be sitting here now, beside each other, under fire.

  The guys have been relentless with questions of what we did last night. Felix and John seemed to have given in. Neither of them believe anything could or would happen between myself and Brax. Ryan has been quiet the entire time, just smiling away. Wyatt and Noah on the other hand, just won’t let it go.

  “Dude, you’re blushing,” Wyatt teases. “Did you seduce Heather or did you ditch her last night for some chick?”

  “I told you, nothing happened last night,” Braxton grumbles. “And I’m not blushing. You guys are just getting on my fucking nerves. It’s my birthday weekend. Why the fuck did you come here, if you were just going to get on my damn nerves?”

  “Alright, alright,” Noah holds up his hands chuckling.

  “So, Brax? That’s your type,” Wyatt continues to tease, this time directing his taunting at me.

  I run a hand over my short waves, if only the guys saw me last night. They would never let up. I roll my eyes and take a pull of my beer. They’ll stop when we stop acting flustered.

  “Would you give it a rest,” I huff. “I got drunk and passed out. I don’t know what Brax did after that.”

  “Um,” Wyatt murmurs, giving me a knowing look as he chuckles.

  “I don’t think either of us are each other’s type,” I mutter.

  Brax turns to me, giving me a death glare. I want to give him a glare in warning, but I sip from my beer like I haven’t a care in the world. Braxton pulls a face like he tastes something bad in his mouth.

  “Bullshit,” Brax growls, causing me to nearly choke on my beer.

  “What,” I choke out.

  Braxton’s eyes roll over me. “Bullshit. I’m everyone’s type. One night, Baby. One night and I’d turn that ass out. You won’t ever look at a another girl,” Brax says heatedly.

  My face flames. I try not to squirm in my seat as memories of this morning and last night flood my head. I internally shake those thoughts away, wondering what the fuck Brax is thinking. I push away my shock, giving a snort.

  “Whatever, Brax.”

  “Just saying. If I wanted you, I’d have you,” he shrugs, taking a long pull of his beer, while keeping his eyes on me.

  “Aren’t you full of yourself,” I hiss, steam nearly coming out of my ears.

  I fight the tears that are stinging the backs of my eyes. If I thought I was stunned at his comment earlier, I’m completely floored now. Brax has never been a jerk to me. Sure, he can say wild shit that will make you do a double take an
d sometimes you want to tell him to shut the fuck up. However, he’s never ever been an ass to me.

  He waves a hand in the air. “It is what it is.”

  “Trust me, you’re not my type,” I say tightly.

  Brax leans forward in his seat, placing his beer down. He looks me in my eyes. His eyes devour me in a heated stare, once again.

  “Although I’ve never seen the girls you date,” his words come out dripping in sarcasm. “I don’t doubt for a minute that I can have you in my cuffs, bound to my bed, screaming my name. Those long legs would be wrapped around my neck while you beg for me to have mercy on you,” Braxton says low and sexy.

  I feel my chest heaving. My panties are completely soaked and I’m so pissed about it. I just react without thinking. It happens so fast, I gasp as the sound rings through the room.

  I haul back and slap the shit out of Brax. He doesn’t even flinch. His golden eyes stare back at me with so much heat. His lips slowly turn up into an arrogant smile.

  “You’re an asshole,” Wyatt grunts to Braxton. “On second thought, I don’t think you could act like a human being long enough to get Heather to sleep with you. Even if you guys were drunk.”

  “I was thinking the same shit,” Noah says in disgust. “If Heather didn’t already slap the shit out of you and this wasn’t your weekend I’d kick your ass myself.”

  “Whatever,” Braxton mutters, sitting back in his seat.

  “Dick,” Felix grumbles.

  “Asshat,” John throws in.

  Braxton looks at me and winks. He then mouths, “You’re welcome.”

  My anger instantly evaporates just a little, as it dawns on me what he just did. The guys are going to kick his ass, when I’m not around, no matter what they just said. My heart swells knowing he just threw himself under the bus for me. I’m still angry with him, but a part of me does wants to say thank you and give him a hug .

  Everyone has moved on to talk of what to get into tonight. What happened between us last night is quickly forgotten. The guys don’t bring up the topic again.

  Chapter 21

  Between Us

  Heather

  It’s been two weeks since Vegas. I’ve been ducking Brax every chance I get. I decide to take a vacation from work and go apartment hunting.

  After returning home to Dad and Faith’s news of hooking me up on a blind date, I decided it’s long overdue for me to move out. I also started to hatch a plan to start dating or at least get my dad off of my back.

  I fidget nervously as I smooth my hands over the table top. I’m sitting in the back of the restaurant my guest suggested. I’m so nervous, I jump every time I see someone walking this way.

  I can’t believe I’m about to do this. I rub my forehead and think about getting up to leave. My phone buzzes with a text, causing me to look down at the table. It’s Brax, just one more reason I need to do this.

  Brax: We need to talk.

  I read his text and groan. I blow out a breath and tug at my ear. I’m lost in thought when my guest does arrive.

  “Am I interrupting something?” a soft voice asks.

  My head snaps up. I take in Lucy from head to toe. Her blonde hair is tucked under a baseball cap, hiding those big blue eyes. She’s dressed in all black, washing out her lightly tanned skin, making her look paler than she is. The look is finished with heavy black boots on her feet.

  I’ve always admired her. She has been out since the tenth grade. She’s never cared about what anyone thought about her or her sexual preference. We were cool way before the rumors at school started. I guess that didn’t help how people chose to see me.

  I stand, pulling my friend into a hug. I realize how much I’ve missed her. When I left Cali, I never looked back. I lost touch with the few friends I did have here. When I returned my focus was my sister, I never thought to reach out to my old friends. I only still talk to a sparse few.

  We release each other and take our seats. My nerves shoot into over drive. I start to fidget in my seat. Lucy tilts her head at me, but I duck away from her eyes. I blow out a breath and reach for my menu.

  I rehearsed what I’d say a million times. Yet, all of the words have taken leave from my brain and left me feeling vulnerable and foolish. This was all a dumb idea. I start to chide myself for taking things this far.

  “Come on, Heather. What’s all of this about?” Lucy says, causing my eyes to lift and lock with hers.

  I sigh, reaching to tug at my ear, but place my hands into my lap instead. My shoulders sag, my mind races, as I try to think of something else to tell her instead of the real reason I invited her out to lunch.

  Lucy gives a giggle. “You know I always found that thing you do with your ear adorable. You do it anytime you’re really nervous about something. You used to do it with your hair, before you cut it all off.”

  I look up at her and blink. I know about my little nervous tick. I don’t do it often, just when I’ve reached my breaking point. I learned a long time ago to get it under wraps. I’ve been called on it by the guys, which helped me put it in check.

  “Don’t look so shocked. We were close in high school. I mean, as close as you let anyone other than your cousin and the Blacks get,” Lucy lift her hands and shrugs.

  “Yeah, I guess we were,” I nod.

  I lick my dry lips, still trying to put my words together. My emotions are swirling, as I become overwhelmed. I still haven’t taken time to unpack the mental luggage I have from Vegas. I think everything is starting to weigh down on me.

  “Come on, Heather. It’s me, what’s this all about?” Lucy asks with a small smile on her lips.

  I blow out a long breath. “I heard you’re trying to get into gay weed porn,” I blurt out.

  “Not the film stuff,” she frowns a little. “More link Instagram famous, my own site, shit like that. No live cams or anything. It’s more to build my brand for my oils. You know model some, build a following and then push the hemp oil.”

  “Hemp oil?” I tilt my head this time.

  Lucy rolls her eyes, but her face becomes animated, as she launches into her explanation. “Yeah, cannabis lube. Why smoke weed and get so high you don’t remember the sex or even get the best response from it? Rubbing cannabis oil directly on the clit can be so fucking amazing. God, the orgasms,” she pauses to bite her lip, her eyes roll in her head. “With the right partner, you can go to the freaking moon and back.”

  I sit staring at her, with my mouth open. I’ve just learned something new. I clamp mouth shut, nodding my head.

  “So you make this oil?” I say slowly, brows wrinkled.

  “Yeah, I have a little shop. Don’t worry, I’m totally legal in the state of California. I’m just trying to get the word out there about my services and product,” she shrugs, beginning to look embarrassed.

  “I get it. That’s definitely a way to brand it,” I say as my brain shifts gears to think over her idea.

  “You can tell Ginger I’m going to smack the fuck out of her when I see her,” Lucy grumbles.

  I laugh. She’s right, it was Ginger that told me. Ginger moved to New York a year after I did, to pursue her modeling and acting. I did some makeup and styling for her for a few of her casting calls. She thought I’d be able to help Lucy. Ginger really did mean well.

  “I want to help. I can get you ready for the camera and even help with the photos if you like. I took some photography classes,” I offer.

  Lucy takes off her cap, allowing her blonde locks to spill down over her shoulders. Her hair falls limper than it should. I can already see how to bring life back to it. Lucy has a very pretty face, that’s not going to be a problem to work with. A little liner to make her blues pop, some mascara on her lashes, and gloss on her bee stung lips.

  Her black t-shirt and jeans do nothing for her athletic figure. I know from gym class, Lucy is as top heavy as I am. With the right clothes, I can make her Insta-famous in no time.

  Lucy’s brows furrow. “Why?”
<
br />   My shoulders sag further, I reach to rub the center of my brows. It’s now or never. Here goes nothing.

  “I need a favor. You can never tell anyone about this. No one,” I pause to let my words sink in. When she nods, I continue. “I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

  The words rush through my lips, before I have time to taste how they may sound aloud. With them out there between us, I cringe. My eyes study her face for her reaction.

  I feel like a toad, but this was the best thing I could come up with to get Dad and Brax off my back. I won’t have to explain to my father why I’ve been pretending for years and Brax…well, with Brax I can build some space to breathe. If I actually start dating a girl, maybe he won’t be so damn cock sure of himself.

  Lucy looks away, it’s her turn to look nervous. I watch as she sucks her lip into her mouth. Her eyes scan the restaurant, before falling to the table in front of her.

  “I won’t get in the way of your real relationships. If you could just hang out with me sometimes. You know for my dad and friends to see. If you get serious with someone,—I mean, if you’re not already serious. We can pretend to break up,” I rush out.

  Lucy starts to pick at her napkin. “I’m not seeing anyone,” she whispers. “You still haven’t told your dad you’re not gay?”

  “No,” I say softly.

  “Will you finally tell me…why…why you’ve been lying all this time?” Lucy stutters out nervously.

  I blink back the tears that threaten to fall. I can’t speak at first. I just nod my head as if she’s looking up at me. I swallow a few times, before I give her a very vague explanation.

  “When I was younger, someone made me feel unsafe. This…hiding…it makes me feel safe,” I murmur.

  Lucy finally looks up at me. Her eyes are so expressive, but her words that follow leave me confused. Her eyes read sadness, anger and…hope?

  “Do you want to show real affection? Like a kiss or something, you know, to make things look real.”